Sunset on GoSolarSF?!? Say it ain’t so…

One of California’s clear bright spots for the last few years has been the city by the Bay’s GoSolarSF program.

This first-of-a-kind local solar program has:

– quadrupled the number of solar roofs in the city,

– created scores of new green jobs, and

– attracted nearly a dozen new solar companies to San Francisco.

But the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission has proposed a 40% cut in the program’s funding. This is obviously due to budget concerns at City Hall, but the sting is that this Department is not short on budget. Furthermore, according to the program’s cofounder Phil Ting, GoSolarSF is paying for itself. How?

Firstly, all those homes and business’ have saved hundreds of thousands on electricity bills already. Second, data from his office shows that once the new solar homes are sold, the city gains more than $2,000 per home in increased property taxes because homes with solar are more valuable. And lastly, the new green economy companies, and their green collar employees, add to economic activity.

Ting should know – he’s the Assessor-Recorder of San Francisco and President of the Bay Area Assessors Association. It appears that SFPUC tried to zero out this budget for GoSolarSF last year but they were forced to reinstate it due to public outcry. They put $5 million back into the pot, which seems small given all the value the program has created.

So, if you feel that they should not slash the budget this year, let them know. At this website you can respectfully ask the Mayor, Ed Lee, to work with the PUC to restore the program in full. Shine on!